


Grassclan's Betrayal

by angstyastronaut



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Angst, Fan Characters, Fanclans, M/M, drama as far as the eye can see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29678025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angstyastronaut/pseuds/angstyastronaut
Summary: As the kit of a traitor who almost destroyed Grassclan, Speckledkit knows the rules he must follow if he ever wants to become a warrior: always obey the senior warriors, always be loyal to the Clan and never, ever question Robinwave. But then he finds himself making discoveries which shatter his world, and the rules he lives by- discoveries that might put his very life at risk.
Relationships: Original Character/Original Character
Comments: 11
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cover template by @moodledoodlee!

**Chapter 1**

_This is it, this is it, this is it._ They were expected at the first light of sunhigh; Speckledkit could see the sky brightening over Lakeclan and the hills. Soon Eclipseheart would be here for them. He pulled his head back into the nursery, sick to his stomach with fear.

“Oh calm down,” Ashkit said, clawing the mouse Eclipseheart had brought them last night. His blunt kit paws scraped against the bone; he wasn’t supposed to because he wasn’t an apprentice yet, but he kept on trying to sharpen them. He believed Robinwave would let them be apprentices with all his heart, and had little patience for his brother’s fear.

A fresh rush of adrenaline made Speckledkit’s claws tingle as he scratched them through the mossy earth of the nursery. Any second now and they’d be going before Robinwave- if Robinwave cared. He might not. It could be their deputy and healer Barkshine; they wouldn’t stand a chance if it was her.  _I should eat something._ _I haven’t eaten since yesterday._ _That mouse_ _c_ _ould still have some marrow in its bones._ “Ashkit, could I-”

He never got a chance to finish. The entrance of the nursery, woven by generations of paws was pushed aside, their foster mother’s face staring in at them. Eclipseheart was aged, but her black and rusty red pelt had few white hairs in it, her unusual green eyes clear as a bird’s.

“ It’s time,” she  walked in, purring . “Robinwave said he wanted to speak to both of you alone; I’ll be waiting for you though,” Speckledkit could tell she was nervous, because her usually sleek fur was poking out and looked  a bit unkempt . He looked at his own paws and gulped,  because that was a habit they both shared. But there was no time to fix himself up  so he could look presentable , because Robinwave had called, and you didn’t leave Robinwave waiting. 

Grassclan’s camp hung over the rest of the territory, watching over it from the bush and fern covered hills. No-one stirred in the undergrowth. It was too early for the dawn patrols to be up, and hours after the return of the night ones. He looked over at the healing den, which at this hour was a shadowy arrangement of grey rocks, the water holding pools pitch black. There wasn’t any cats in there  either; while Speckledkit usually tensed when he saw Barkshine, this only made him more nervous. She’d be up and about now. Which meant she was probably waiting around Robinwave for him to come. _At least it’s a private meeting_ , he reminded himself, steady ing his paws.

Even Ashkit was quiet on their walk to Wildcat’s Watch. Speckledkit nudged his brother and smiled, getting a beam in return. H is brother might be a bit nervous, but he was also excited and hopeful . It made him feel hope too. Or at least it did, before they took the dirt trail up to the peak of the cliffs, where every senior warrior was waiting with Robinwave atop the Watch.

Robinwave was terrifying in the pre-dawn light, a dark shadow with deep orange eyes shining in the faintest sunlight. The other cats seemed small in comparison, dull smudges of darkness. He said nothing, revealed no expressions. His scent conveyed no strong emotion.

“I thought this would be private,” Speckledkit whispered. Eclipseheart glanced back at him with worry, shaking her head. She had not been expecting this. But she lingered behind her kits, averting her eyes from the cats on the Watch.

“Thank you for letting us meet you, my lord,” Ashkit said. Robinwave breathed; Speckledkit could smell the blood from a recent meal. Mixed with those bright orange eyes staring deep into his soul, it made him feel sick. 

“Thank you for letting us meet you, my lord,” Speckledkit said, knowing he’d said it far too late. Robinwave’s claws flexed on the Watch’s stone, sharp as a stoat’s fang.

“What are you doing here? You were apprenticed a few seasons ago, I believe,” Blossomnose melted out of the shadows and got right up in Eclipseheart’s face, baring his teeth. She looked away from him, ears back- but not so back that she looked frightened. S he was not a senior warrior, but she was still one of the oldest warriors in the Clan. She knew the senior warriors would hesitate to harm her in any way.

He snapped at her nose; she turned without a word. They might be hesitant to claw her, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t. “Remember Eclipseheart; when I say a meeting is private, I mean it’s private. Surely these kits could’ve found Wildcat’s Watch by themselves? It would have givev them a chance to show responsibility,” Robinwave said.

Speckledkit shivered as his attention returned to the kits. _Did not getting here by ourselves ruin our chances before the meeting even started?_ “Ashkit and Speckledkit,” Robinwave’s voice oozed authority, deep and resonant as the sea. “Today you’re six moons old. Most kits would be given a mentor and start their warrior training automatically on their sixth moon. However, I decided a season ago that I would need to see both of you before letting you start your training. You are both outliers.”

_Outliers._ A nice word for suspicious, unworthy, lesser. Speckledkit tried to match Ashkit’s expression, which was sombre but still eager. He could feel himself fail.  _What does he want from us?_ They both followed the rules and stayed out from under the warriors’ feet. They even helped Redpaw when  she  needed  to practice tracking or stalking. Surely they’d done enough, surely...

“You have both behaved quite well,” his heart soared; Robinwave’s expression didn’t change. “but, I still have some reservations about apprenticing you two. How can we know that you’re trustworthy?”

“May I speak?” Speckledkit’s heart sank; Robinwave nodded in approval at Rookheart, who’s unsheathed claws were out in the grass. She hated any cat who related to the Betrayal, even the kits.

“These kits are tainted; Stonestripe broke the Code, and Waveclan only knows what their sire got up to. We’d be better off chasing them, and replace them with kits born as true, loyal Grassclan cats. That is all I have to say,” Rookheart carved trenches in the mud, watching the kits.

“I agree with her!” Blossomnose cried.

“I could go either way; we will need to see what impact it has on the Clan’s stability. The Betrayal is a fresh wound for us all, and while fresh apprentices would be good, Grassclan itself is the most important thing,” Owlbreeze said.

Barkshine spoke next. “New apprentices would be good, but these ones are weak. Even if they weren’t the Betrayer’s blood, I wouldn’t really want them in this Clan. Though perhaps they’d toughen up with some training; who knows?” She sneered at the kits.

Robinwave sighed; he seemed annoyed by the senior warriors talking without his leave. “Well Troutfur, what do you think?” Ashkit and Speckledkit froze, watching the thin grey ticked tabby tom stretch before speaking. He was the spitting image of Speckledkit, down to their orange eyes. After all, Troutfur was their uncle.

“ We only have one apprentice; I think other would be good. But if they put so much as a paw out of line, I’ll tear out their throats,” T routfur said after a moment. The words were impersonal; he didn’t involve himself in the lives of his nephews, even though he was their  their closest living blood kin. Speckledkit  secretly thought it wasn’t much of a loss. 

“What do you have to say for yourself, kits?” Robinwave’s face was stone hard.

The senior warriors snarled and whispered their contempt. _Oh Waveclan, I was not expecting this. Eclispeheart hadn’t expected that they’d get a chance to talk, and she hadn’t prepared them for that. I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m..._

“I’ve always dreamed of being a warrior, and fighting for our Clan. I’m just a kit but I let the Code guide my paws. If you let me be an apprentice, I promise that I’ll be loyal to you and Grassclan until my last breath, no matter what,” Ashkit said. That was the speech he’d been practising while Speckledkit  took naps. He had thought it was the apprentice ceremony words, not an argument. Now everyone was looking at him and he had nothing. 

He took a deep breath. “I second my brother’s words,” Robinwave frowned, which made his throat clench in terror. “Grassclan is what matters to me, despite my kin. I never knew my mother, but I know she is everything I don’t want to be. If you make me an apprentice, I will follow the Code and defend Grassclan as well as I can.” _That went better than I expected. Will everything be alright?_ For the first time in the last moon he let himself imagine doing all the fun things Redpaw got to do; if he became an apprentice today, they’d have so much fun...

Robinwave nodded. “Good. Ashkit, your apprentice ceremony will be held at sunset once our patrols have returned,” His brother squeaked, eyes shining in joy. “Speckledkit, you will have to wait another moon. Our Clan can’t have too many warriors mentoring at one time; this is a delicate time.”

He didn’t protest; Robinwave’s word was law, and he was lucky he hadn’t been asked to go into the wilderness and find himself a place amongst the everkits and rogues like the other kits linked to the Betrayal before him. He still had faint memories of Shrikekit and Cowkit begging to stay before they were chased out. And... Speckledkit shivered. He was lucky it was just a moon and not forever.

“You are dismissed. Both of you should get some rest in the nursery; the warriors need to be briefed,” both kits turned down the path, keeping their walk slow and deliberate. Robinwave would not approve if they were hopping around.

Ashkit smushed his long pelt against Speckledkit’s short one. “I’m sure he’ll make you a warrior sooner than that !”  Speckledkit purred. He ought to look happy, even if he didn’t believe what his encouragements.

“It’s great! What mentor do you think they’ll give you?” Speckledkit asked to change the topic. They spent the walk back into camp running over the pros and cons of every cat in the Clan.

“How’d it go?” A blur of red charged in their direction; the kits leapt on top of Redpaw, who fell to the ground purring.

Ashkit puffed out his chest. “I’ll be apprenticed this evening!” he cried. Redpaw smiled.

“Oh, it’ll be so much fun.  I’m sick of being the only apprentice-”  Redpaw frowned sadly before putting on another smile . “The two of you will shake things up a bit.” The kits flinched. “Did I-”

“I’m not becoming an apprentice for another moon,” Speckledkit said, faking cheer and keeping his eyes on his older sister instead of looking at the ground he wished he could sink into. “But Robinwave still wants to apprentice me eventually.

Redpaw’s exuberant front faltered. “That’s crappy,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll be a great apprentice though, when the time comes.  Mum is waiting for us in camp . Shall we go and see  her ?”

Grassclan was starting to wake up, the warriors leaving their resting places in the bushes so they could groom and be ready for the day ahead. Even Mangledleg the elder was awake, sharing tongues with Starlingpelt.  He could feel cats staring. The news of their meeting with Robinwave would’ve spread; it was supposed to be between the senior warriors,  but there were many of them, and they often had loose tongues . 

“Did it go alright?” Eclipseheart’s eyes were full of worry, her tail lashing.

“Ashkit will be an apprentice tonight, and Speckledkit’s going to be apprenticed in another moon,” Redsong said. Their mother sagged with relief, coming close and nuzzling them.

“I’m glad. You’re both great kits and deserve th e chance ,” she said, her nuzzle turning into a quick groom.  _I really am dirty_ , he realised, feeling her tongue take a bit of  muck from the back of his neck.  _Maybe if I’d actually cleaned myself first I’d be an apprentice with Ashkit._

That wasn’t the only thing that made him feel sober. _A chance._ He’d almost forgotten in the fuss of the meeting, but even once you got apprenticed, Robinwave would expect you to prove yourself. Those that proved themselves got to be warriors of Grassclan. Those that didn’t would leave once they were considered capable of fending for themselves, doomed like the kits exiled before them to become everkits or rogues. That had been the fate of Redpaw’s littermate and their sister Patchedpaw. Starlingpelt, Eclipseheart and the elders had tried their best, but Robinwave hadn’t budged. He had been three moons old then, but he still remembered her. She’d been a daring cat, fiery and eager, with a long tortoiseshell pelt that smelled a bit like grass.

“It’ll all work out, you’ll see,” Eclipseheart whispered to  them , nuzzling both kits. Speckledkit caught the senior warriors out of the corner of his eyes, glaring at them.  _Better off ignoring them for now. They’ll see that we’re good enough soon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will probably be posted on Sunday, and I think I'll keep on updating on Sundays from here on out! I just wanted to get this first chapter into the world because I'm so happy to have finally finished this fanfic- I've been working on it since December 2019 which is the longest I've ever worked on anything by far.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long wait, Speckledkit finally gets to a chance to become an apprentice. But there's someone missing from his apprentice ceremony...

**Chapter 2**

It was raining again. Speckledkit gnawed at the mound of moss Eclipseheart had given him the other day and contemplated stepping out of the nursery. A kit of his age should be allowed to step out when they wanted, but the senior warriors had taken to glaring at him whenever he put his head out. That and the rain made him hesitate; he’d been in here since yesterday, he could wait a bit longer.

His family were trying their best. It wasn’t their fault that Robinwave was sending everyone on as many patrols as he could, all because Blossomnose thought he’d smelled a Caveclan cat within their borders. Or that he insisted that cats sleep outside, because the cooling season was coming and he claimed that keeping him company in the nursery would weaken them when things got cold. He found it somewhat troubling that Robinwave didn’t worry about him sleeping in the nursery every night, and how that might leave him unprepared for harsh conditions.

And Ashkit had his mentor to please. Of all cats... Speckledkit’s thoughts drifted back to the ceremony, held a moon ago on that rainy evening. It had been Troutfur who’d been called forward; Eclipseheart had flinched in distress, and Ashpaw had been terrified. Ironically he didn’t seem to be a bad mentor, even if he wouldn’t acknowledge being their uncle. Ashpaw said he trained him well and he was having fun. 

He stood up;  thinking about Ashpaw training made his fur itch with boredom and he fel t  a desperate need to get out before he went mad ,  regardless of what stares he’d get for being out of the nursery .  Drizzle poured down on the unpleasant day and left an unpleasant tingle on his whiskers even from under the ferns he’d crouched under. Just as he contemplated turning back, he noticed a stir in the centre of camp.

“Come around, come around!” Swansong called to the  few cats not patrolling . Instead of his usual place on one of the rocky shelves below the healer’s den, he sat in a tall thorny bush  which protected him from the rain. Rookheart sat beside him, as was law when a storytelling was happening.  She didn’t pay much mind to it, instead cleaning her belly;  she was carrying kits .  He hesitated;  he’d like to listen to a story, but Rookheart was terrifying .  Besides, when he was younger she had harassed him away from storytelling circles until Eclipseheart exchanged unpleasantries with her  and she’d finally contented herself with frowning at curling her lip at him.

The crowd were all normal warriors however: Starlingpelt, Dustheart, and Night-tail were all there. They were  nice enough, though he didn’t know the  them too well -

“Today, I will sing the song of the Betrayal; the scars are still fresh but it is still my duty to remind you of it all the same,” Swansong began. Speckledkit stopped and turned away. He hated this tale, preferring the ones of the Founders and legendary cats of old.

“It is the tale of our victory over the foul killer of Twowaves  and  Mouseleaf , Stonestripe, and the deaths of all who followed her!” Rookheart cried; Swansong frowned, the lines snatched  from  straight under his snout.

The story continued, Speckledkit hidden in the bushes because the nursery path was too exposed. He couldn’t risk embarrassing himself by looking like he was trying to run away, it could get him into trouble, he-

“We’re back!” the only hunting patrol Robinwave had set for that day came in, each cat holding prey. His mouth watered at the sight of late season fledgelings and baby rabbits, but he stayed put. _I can go without today._

He watched them eat, longing deep in his chest. He wished he was a normal kit and could join them without fearing their reactions or stares. Or a normal apprentice, even.  _Maybe someone will put some prey in the nursery later._ “ Speckledkit?” 

With bristling fur he stared right at Redpaw. “You scared me!” he said, a tremble in his voice.

“I just wanted to make sure you’re eating, that’s all,” she dropped a two tiny rabbits onto the ground- they were so small they must’ve been plucked right from a burrow. The scent of blood and tender meat soaked  the air around him, so  tempting that he almost ate it without the proper rites.

Speckledkit gulped  back saliva; even two moon old kits knew the rights had to be done . “Your meat will sustain me. May it sustain my ancestors too,”  Redpaw helped him take one of the forepaws off. They walked together to the cliffs, each with a forepaw in their mouths.  Speckledkit held his 

This close to the ocean, the scent of saltwater was strong enough to taste. Waves of water more immense than the biggest cat smashed against the blackened rocks below with the great roar of a lion. His whiskers felt the chaos beneath, the power of it tightening his chest. This was Waveclan’s domain, and it was stronger than any living cat could ever hope to be.

Redpaw nudged him; Speckledkit dropped his sacrifice into the waters below. One of the gulls who nested on the cliffs lunged with an ear-splitting shriek for it, taking it into its beak. That didn’t matter; this food would not go to his ancestors, but it would feed the birds who brought knowledge of the living to them.

“So, what’s bothering you?” Redpaw asked as they started to eat. The rich flavours turned to dust on his tongue.

“Nothing,” he said before returning to his meal.

She made a noise in the back of her throat. “Is it that song again? I know Swansong hates singing it.”

“Yeah,” Speckledkit shuffled his paws. How did she always know? Redpaw sighed.

“No-one would tell it so often, but the senior warriors insist. I’m sorry they were on it today,” she said, licking him on the head.  _Why do I always have to make cats upset?_ He thought.  It was unfair  to think that way, really; of course he upset the senior warriors. His mother had killed their last leader, the medicine cat and many others.  If Robinwave, the Clan’s deputy at the time hadn’t survived, Grassclan may have died.

They finished their meat in awkward silence. “Would you like to hear a story? Swansong told me a really neat one about Sunbringer yesterday!”

Speckledkit purred and nodded, her voice taking his mind off of his troubles.

-

“Speckledkit! Redsong!” Eclipseheart called. The siblings looked up from the game  of rocks and leaves they’d been playing. 

“Robinwave wants to speak to you,” To his surprise Eclipseheart’s eyes were shining at the prospect. “I overheard him saying he wanted you to be an apprentice now.”  She was purring, a deep warm sound  he’d almost never heard. 

“ C’mon, fluffbrain,” Redpaw nudged him. Speckledkit realised  he was standing with his mouth open

“Y-yeah,” Speckledkit said, walking with them back to the nursery. The other patrols would be back soon, with no other scheduled ones he could remember- that would leave time for his apprentice ceremony. If it was really happening. What if Robinwave changed his mind?

His mother and sister couldn’t stay for long; Blossomnose  called for them , asking them to drag prey down to Grassclan’s cache in the lowlands. The southern border patrol returned, then the Great Boundary patrol. A few more pieces of prey were left in a small pile to be eaten or cached for the senior warriors 

Ashpaw was amongst them. Careful to avoid Troutfur and not annoy any of the cats working, Speckledkit hopped down to him. “How was training?” he asked. His brother looked like he’d had a long day, tufts of fur missing from the ruff around his chest.

To his surprise, he seemed energetic. “It was great; Troutfur was teaching me all these battle stances, and he even let me fight him!”

Speckledkit purred. “I think I’ll get to join you soon; Eclipseheart thinks Robinwave is ready to let me be an apprentice.” He said it quietly, aware of Troutfur watching his apprentice.  Ashpaw inhaled.

“Oh… that’s great,” he mumbled and darted off. Speckledkit’s whiskers drooped; was his brother not happy for him? _He could just be tired. I’ll talk to him later._

“ Cats of Grassclan!” Robinwave must’ve come back and he hadn’t noticed; the tom was sitting in the shadow of the medicine cat den, watching the clan with lidded eyes. 

“All cats gather around me for a Clan meeting!” Speckledkit shivered with excitement. The cats had all gathered around the medicine cat den, as was tradition- although Barkshine did not sit beside Robinwave, as a medicine cat like Mouseleaf would have; instead she was in the crowd with the senior warriors. Perhaps it was because she didn’t have a connection with Waveclan and therefore did not have a place in the ceremony, or maybe it was because she didn’t approve. He tried to ignore her sharp eyes.

He could see the whole Clan, except for one cat. Ashpaw was nowhere to be seen. Where was he? Somewhere he couldn’t see surely. His fluffy yellow and grey pelt was very distinctive, though...

He shook his head. This was his apprentice ceremony. He ought to be happy, and Ashpaw would be right there to congratulate him like Speckledkit did at his. His paws kneaded the earth, even though he knew it was a kittish thing to do.

“Welcome, Grassclan and the warriors of Waveclan. Step forward, Speckledkit.”

Everyone knew what this meeting was about now; Speckledkit froze up when all  those  eyes focused on him; he  tottered on unsteady paws, stepping on twigs and stones , focused on Robinwave before him. 

“This kit is over six moons and seeks to walk on the trail of a warrior. Speckledkit, are you ready to uphold the Warrior Code in all that  your heart , and give your life for it if the need rises?”

“Yes,” Speckledkit was glad  he didn’t have to say much, because he suspected his voice would give out if he did.

“Do you promise to be loyal to Grassclan until your last breath, never leaving the territory unless necessary or on pilgrimage to the Sacred House?”

“Yes.”  Robinwave’s eyes narrowed; Speckledkit held his breath.

“Then by the powers of Waveclan, I  name you  Speckledpaw from this day forward until you earn your warrior name. May you learn well and become an asset to your Clan.”

Robinwave fell silent. Speckledpaw-  he was Speckledpaw now! Which warrior would step forward?  He stared at the crowd, full of anticipation and fear.

“Step forward Night-tail.”

“Night-tail? Is he making Night-tail a mentor?” Whispers spread through the Clan. Speckledpaw  tensed; Grassclan cats usually didn’t acknowledge their sire, but the black cat walking towards him bore a striking resemblance to Caveclan cats with his small body and the searing white on his muzzle and chest that made him look like he’d been dipped in starlight. Even his paws and the tip of his tail bore no colour.  It was enough to make him unpopular amongst many of the cats, though many also saw him as a diligent warrior. But Speckledpaw couldn’t dredge of anything else he knew about him.

“Night-tail, it is time for you to pass down your knowledge of the warrior’s life, as…”  Robinwave frowned again.

“ Teaselpelt ,” Night-tail whispered;  Speckledpaw hadn’t heard him speak much .  It was a nice voice, one that was softer than most Grassclan cats. They met eyes;  he looked kind, not suspicious or afraid about being apprenticed to him.

“ Teaselpelt did for you. You have shown agility, and, and… You are now Speckledpaw’s mentor and I expect you to pass down all you know to him.”

Their noses touched. “I’m sure you’ll be a great apprentice,”  Speckledpaw jumped, a little smile under his whiskers .

He looked past his new mentor, at the whole of Grassclan. Eclipseheart and Redpaw beamed at him. But he couldn’t see Ashpaw anywhere. “And before he sits vigil at Wildcat’s Watch, let us congratulate him on his first step on the warrior’s path.”

The  Clan surrounded him, every cat praising him for the first time he could remember , but all Speckledpaw wanted at that moment was for Ashpaw to be there.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Speckledpaw, Redpaw and Ashpaw have a training session. It doesn't end well!

“Faster!” Ashpaw’s feet dug into the ground, unsheathed claws giving him enough traction to run from Redpaw’s grasp. His sister whipped around, narrowly avoiding his teeth tearing tufts from her tail.

The apprentices faltered, circling. They were clearly beginning to tire, but each one stayed focused, paying no mind to the world around them. Speckledpaw leaned forward, heart thumping. Redpaw’s claws flashed out; Ashpaw avoided them with ease and instead of retaliating or flinching just took a step back and continued circling. Redpaw fell back into the rhythm  of circling too,  every movement deliberate. 

It was intimidating; would he ever be able to do that? He had seen Patchedpaw do this, and she always flinched before the other cat, he remembered with a twist of his stomach. Where was she now? She hadn’t wanted to be an everkit, but she’d still struggle to live life as a rogue…

“It’s important to know how to feign calm when circling an enemy warrior.  Ash paw is panting more than Redpaw, but  by standing tall and puffing his fur out, he’s making himself look stronger than he actually is . If you’re good enough at projecting strength, you might not even have to fight at all.  Half of battling is intimidating your opposition ” Night-tail said to Speckledpaw,  snapping him out of his thoughts .  If he wanted to spare himself, he had to learn to fight well,  he reminded himself . 

“He already knows that,” Troutfur muttered to Frogfur. “And besides, do you want him to spend a whole battle circling his enemy like an eejit? Ashpaw, you have this!  Attack! ”  Frogfur rolled her eyes.

Ashpaw broke his form and pounced at Redpaw like a wild thing; they crashed into a ball of yowling fur in the smooth dirt of the Training Circle.

“They have alright form, but most Grassclan cats won’t wrestle like that in a battle; we’re  leaner than the other Clans  and most Clanless, so we have the disadvantage.  Staying out of the grasp of enemy cats is very important  if we want to beat them , ” Speckledpaw nodded, watching his siblings fight.  They were knocking stones away from the Training Circle, so furious was their fight.

“Gotcha!” Redpaw jabbed  Ash paw’s throat.  He had no choice but to accept defeat, groaning while he sprung to his paws .

“Well fought,”  Ashpaw said,  frowning .  In the brief time Speckledpaw had been an apprentice, he’d only seen Ashpaw lose a fight twice,  and he knew his brother was proud of his skill . Troutfur’s haunches twitched; he looked ready to launch himself at Redpaw to avenge his apprentice’s honour.

Speckledpaw stepped into the  Circle;  he ought to have a chance to practice . “Can I have a go?” he asked.

“ Troutfur, would Ashpaw mind another go?” Night-tail asked. Troutfur’s tail bristled at the question.

“What do you think, Ashpaw?” His brother exchanged glances with Troutfur, tail twitching in agitation. There was an unsaid message passing between then.

He turned back to Speckledpaw. “Sure,” his voice sounded flat and dull. He was taken aback, surprised his brother wasn’t excited to spar with him for the first time. _We really need to talk._ Maybe it was just him being put out about losing, but it was hard to tell; they hadn’t trained much together so far, because Troutfur often trained Ashpaw in private. He hadn’t even got a chance to ask about what had happened at his apprentice ceremony yet.

Ashpaw started circling him. Okay.  _Feign calm, seem stronger than you really are,_ Speckledpaw thought. He made an effort to slow his movements, took deep breaths in and out like Night-tail had taught him. His brother seemed so much more confident; how could he ever hope to intimidate him?  _Maybe I should talk to him now that we’re so close._ “Ashpaw-”

He dodged Ashpaw’s first strike. _Dang it._ He wouldn’t stand a chance if Ashpaw tried wrestling with him, so he let his brother chase him around, dodging each attempt to grab him. _This is what a real battle would be like. A Grassclan cat wouldn’t try wrestling with a Lakeclan cat;_ _our agility and endurance are important_ _._ Didn’t make him feel any less nervous.

“So, how are you?” Speckledpaw asked, tapping Ashpaw on the forehead- in a real fight with unsheathed claws  he would’ve  left a nasty scratch. 

Ashpaw grunted, rolling away from another hit. He slapped Speckledpaw on the tail; it hurt in the sharp morning cold, and he could smell blood. He backed away, and fell back into circling Ashpaw.

This time eve r y thing felt a bit clearer .  Adrenaline pulsed through his veins and helped him focus . This must be what a real battle felt like! This  wasn’t a real battle though,  and Speckledpaw still wanted to talk while he knew where his brother was.

“Is Troutfur treating you well? He keeps on training you in private, and you always look so tired afterwards,” Ashpaw grimaced.

“ He’s our uncle! Of course he’s treating me well!” he snapped, loud enough that the other cats  stared . A spark of anger flickered in Ashpaw’s eyes. “You’re trying to distract me.”

“No-” Ashpaw’s unsheathed claws cut him off. Speckledpaw was aware of the other cats yelling, though no-one came. “What are you doing? You can’t unsheathe-”

Another blow made his vision glitter. Sharp strands of pain burned where he’d been scratched. “You started this,” Ashpaw hissed.

“ Now, this won’t do. Did you cheat, Speckledpaw?” Troutfur  stomped into the ring . Speckledpaw shook his head. “I don’t like liars.”

His vision  blackened . Collapsing to the ground, Speckledpaw felt the world whirl around him and absolute agony at his temples. “That’ll teach you. Come on, Ashpaw. W e need to catch the sunhigh patrol. ”

His vision was blurry. “Hey! You can’t just leave us!” He lifted his head, seeing Night-tail accost Troutfur and Ashpaw. But they were running, and his mentor wasn’t a particularly fast cat.

“Oh no oh no oh no,” Redpaw was crying, breathing ragged and rapid. He started purring nervously, which made his head start swirling again and forced him to lay his head on the ground. Someone was licking the cuts on his head;  he hiss ed and snarl ed from the pain.

“Redpaw, you should get your mother. She ought to know about this, and it’ll take a while to get him back to camp,” Frogfur said.

He stared at the fluffy molly with blurred vision. That was what happened when you got a bad hit to the head, he remembered dimly. Blurred vision, blurred memories, was how Eclipseheart described it. She’d had a sister and brother who got kidnapped by Caveclan, and had been beaten so much their minds had never been the same. Was that about to happen to him? “ Help,” he rasped.

“I will. This place is too exposed; we need to get back to camp so you can have shelter and herbs. Can you stand? I need you to walk at least a bit,” Speckledpaw found it hard to get back on his paws, but he managed to wobble there, feeling sick to the stomach and dizzy. Frogfur leaned her body against his. “Keep on leaning on me; you might have vertigo after that and we don’t want you falling again.”

They started to walk back to camp. The Training Circle was far out, almost by the river that cut into Lakeclan. Most of the way was flat but it got rocky the closer you got to the sea, and the land rose sharply into cliffs at the end. How was he going to manage? His paws kept on getting stuck over little bushes and burrows.

Night-tail returned. “What happened?” Frogfur asked him. He had a cut on his nose and his whiskers were askew.

He nuzzled Speckledpaw. “They just kept on running. I think they’re somewhere around the Twisted Trees by now. I’m sorry I couldn’t catch them.” The Twisted Trees were the few trees that survived beyond Lakeclan’s borders and were almost in the corner where the territories of the three Clans touched; they must’ve been running full pelt after beating Night-tail. “Eclipseheart should be here soon,” he said.

There was nothing else they could do, really. When Rookheart nicked Redpaw’s ear after she accidentally knocked her over, Eclipseheart had tried speaking about it to Robinwave.  For that, Frogfur hadn’t been allowed to eat the next day.  He’d hear of it, and at worst he might have a sharp word for Troutfur. Most likely he’d have sharp words for Speckledpaw and Night-tail,  because they had annoyed a senior warrior .

“Do you think I’m in trouble?” Night-tail shook his head, but it didn’t convince him. His  mentor’s scent was sharp, the edge of fear creeping into it.  _Oh Waveclan_ . He definitely didn’t know how to survive out there;  he could barely catch mice for Wildcat’s sake!  He’d probably have to live the life of an everkit,  an idea so shameful it made his skin crawl.

After the sun had risen to it’s highest point they finally reached the shadow of the cliffs.  Gulls arced through a patch of radiant white sun in the middle of deep, dark clouds. The agitated wind was clearly bringing a storm on it.  _And I have to climb_ that _!_ His paws felt floppy.

“Speckledpaw!” Eclipseheart’s green eyes looked ready to burst. “That brute-” she licked the blood from his head and the cut from his tail gently, but Speckledpaw could smell her absolute fury. Her snout twitched,  sharp fangs visible . She was as angry as she’d been when Patchedpaw was exiled. Frogfur darted upwards to camp, muttering something about herbs. “I’ll rip off his ears. He could’ve killed you.”

_You can’t; they’ll kill you!_ Speckledpaw wanted to say. But Eclipseheart continued. “I’m going after Troutfur- he can’t mentor you brother, he’s much too dangerous. Ashpaw looks so tired all the time and he doesn’t want to talk to anyone. It’s like Robinwave and Starlingpelt all over again.”

“Eclipseheart, there’s cats around,” Night-tail’s ears swivelled. “Not that you aren’t right,” he said under his breath.

Frogfur returned  with a bundle of stinking leaves and sprigs of various plants in her mouth. “ Barkshine doesn’t know I gathered all these herbs yet; she isn’t going to miss them,” Speckledpaw blinked in shock at her casual attitude. Cats had ended up with more injuries than they’d started with  when Barkshine decided a cat was taking up too much of Grassclan’s precious herbs, or too much of her precious time.

Eclipseheart didn’t notice at first. ““You want me to be quiet? He could’ve killed him! Head injuries like this-”

“Need rest and calm to recover from. Speckledpaw  doesn’t need more stress at ther moment ,”  Frogfur snapped .  Eclipseheart fell silent, purring to reassure him.  He purred too, even though it made his head feel like it was wobbling.

To his shock, Frogfur didn’t slam herbs into his head. Instead she was chewing them; she was frothing out of the mouth, droplets of green saliva dripping to the ground.  _What in the name of Waveclan was she doing?_

Eclipseheart noticed his shock. “She’s chewing up the herbs so she can rub them on your scratches.”

“Barkshine doesn’t chew up the herbs,” the concept felt far weirder than it should be, because he knew from Swansong that medicine cats mashed up herbs, a skill their healer had never learned. “How does Frogfur know? Did she teach you?” They ignored each other, but Barkshine _was_ her mother.

Frogfur  didn’t answer, instead spitting the mixture onto the ground and dabbed her paw into it. “This will sting,”  she said .  Speckledpaw winced; when she was willing, Barkshine just gave them something to eat that made them less sore. “I know this hurts, but she overuses poppy seeds and  keeps on letting wounds get infected. I wish Mous e leaf was here though- I never learned how to wrap cobwebs before becoming a warrior.”

Speckledpaw’s eyes became wide; Frogfur had been a medicine cat apprentice?  Even Barkshine had not had that honour. Robinwave was trying to get a medicine cat from another Clan, but the going was slow and they  would  lack some of the special knowledge the Grassclan medicine cats passed down,  as well as deep knowledge of their territory’s herbs . “Why didn’t you become healer? Barkshine  doesn’t seem to like it.”

Frogfur turned away. “He needed someone he could trust,  and she never forgave me for giving it up, ” she said  bitterly.

He stayed quiet, regretting that he’d asked. It didn’t help that he felt like he’d been dropped off a cliff and been clawed by a fox. In the old tales cats could forget everything they were from a bad hit on the head, which he’d never believed before. He did now- the pain dominated his thoughts and made them fuzzy, slow things. If Troutfur’s blow had been much worse, Speckledpaw reckoned he wouldn’t even know where he was. 

“We’ll try getting you up now. We need somewhere we can keep a close eye on you; I’m afraid we can’t have you sleeping for a while; I’m not sure if you’re concussed, but sometimes sleep masks the effects of head blows until they’re too late to treat.” Speckledpaw winced; all he wanted to do was close his eyes and get away from this situation.

They helped him up again, and started escorting him to camp, even though his paws were steadier now. His head was pounding. Every beat of his heart made his brain pulse. Cats stared and muttered, eyes full of fear and in many, contempt. _They hate me. Why_ _on earth_ _did I aggravate Troutfur?_

_I needed to speak to Ashpaw. If I didn’t try, what sort of brother would I be?_ It just hadn’t been the right time; he’d find a time when the battle rush wasn’t in their blood and their mentors weren’t watching. If he even wanted to talk to him. _He does, I’m sure he does. We’re littermates, and we love each other!_ _He won’t be angry for long._

Eclipseheart stepped away, hissing and snapping at his watchers. They’d taken him only to the lower bounds of camp, to the first nest they could find. It was disused and moist from rain. Frogfur had gone off to gather herbs; Night-tail muttered something and got up, probably so he could stave off the situation his mother was causing. Now he was alone.

_I don’t want to be in here_ . Redpaw would be back crying, Eclipseheart would be angry, and everyone else hated him.  _I have to get away from here before I lose it._ Thankfully, Night-tail had been teaching him stealth and stalking  the day before . He dropped to his paws, slinking away, making sure to keep off the trails and take a route where rocks and bushes would hide him until he was back on flat ground.  He’d clear his head, and maybe catch some prey while he was at it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can we get an f in the chat for Speckledpaw


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Speckledpaw goes on two hunting trips and finds something strange.

_Why did I think this was a good idea?_ Speckledpaw watched the murmuration chirp off into the distant pine trees across the river. He was clumsy and slow, even for a new apprentice. He’d also lost track of time, and only when he found himself at the outer bounds of Grassclan did he realise just how long he’d been gone for,  and that if he didn’t show up with prey he’d probably get into trouble for missing the evening assignments  over nothing . His stomach churned; rude was bad, but soaked and incompetent was worse. If a search party was sent out,  he could see himself being thrown into the wilderness in a heartbeat.

He opened his mouth, hoping he would finally find _something_ he could catch. To his relief he detected a strong mouse scent, close enough that it would take minutes at most to catch. Speckledpaw sniffed again, frowning. It was mouse scent, but there was a strange bittersweet edge to it. Maybe it was sick, or maybe it was a kind he hadn’t seen before. Either way, he crouched and padded forward in silence, focusing on what his ears and whiskers were picking up like Night-tail had taught him. He didn’t have time to think about why it smelled weird.

  
  


It must be stock still, because he couldn’t sense it’s movements. And it had to be holding its breath, because he couldn’t hear it breath. It was like the mouse was… he groaned at his own stupidity. Now that he was close, he could tell  it was dead . He’d been trying to stalk a piece of crowfood. 

He sniffed  the stiff body ; it had been dead for a while judging by the congealed blood and clouded eyes, puncture marks in its little body. They looked like the talons of a hunting bird, maybe a peregrine  falcon or owl.  _No-one’s going to eat that unless they want to puke._

_Unless…_ Speckledpaw picked up the mouse and placed it in  dent where the grass was shorter . A  cat wouldn’t eat this, but other creatures would, creatures that would be perfect freshkill . All he needed to do was stand downwind and wait for a bit. 

_Come on, come on_. He could feel his head pulse with pain when he sat and waited, and he knew cats might be searching for him before too long. He almost cried with relief when something finally took the mouse, until their eyes met.

Glittering eyes as dark as a new moon’s shadow met his. At first he couldn’t make out the creature they were attached to, until it flashed its sharp white teeth.  Mousey ears, a brown and white body with a fishlike, sinuous body. He had never seen a stoat, but he knew what they were. And how fast they were.

_Shit!_ The stoat had his mouse in his jaws and was running away before Speckledpaw could so much as breathe. “No!” He pounced.

The stoat bit him so quickly it took a moment to realise what had happened. Speckledpaw clawed deep into the creature, but that only seemed to make its grip tighter, its claws digging into him as its fangs went deep. Droplets of blood flew through the air. He clawed at the creature, heart thumping, head throbbing. He’d heard of cats dying this way in songs-

“SPECKLEDPAW!” A black blur tore towards him and ripped into the stoat. Utter agony shot through his entire leg, but he was alive, the creature running away as fast as it could. “Why did you go running off like that?” Eclipseheart cried.

“Mum?” His head was hurting really really badly; he could feel blood gushing freely from his wounds, his vision doubling and shifting. “I wanted to clear my head- I went hunting.”

Eclispeheart wrapped her tail around him. “Speckledpaw, we need to get you back to Frogfur-”

“Well, well. If it isn’t Speckledpaw, son of Stonestripe,” Robinwave looked ready to kill. Speckledpaw watched his long, sharpened claws flex  in and out, in and out . “ You decided to run off, did you now? We thought a Caveclan cat had taken you, but it looks like you just don’t care about your Clan,” the words came out with venom. 

“I wanted to hunt for my Clan, but my judgement failed me. I’m sorry.” The other cats of the search patrol laughed.

Rookheart hissed. “I can chase him; no-one else needs to lose their energy over this...nuisance.” He couldn’t breathe once again, feeling like the cold of the wind was crawling into the very core of his being.  _This is it. I’m out of the Clan, with wounds too. I’ll never make it through_ _the cool season._

“He was trying to hunt for you.  Troutfur hit him so hard on the head that Frogfur thinks he’s concussed ,” Eclipseheart said. “ He’s impaired right now; please have mercy-”

She squealed in pain. Robinwave licked her blood from his paws, looking amused at the new notch in her ear. “He has the right. Do you want more traitors in this Clan? If I find out you’ve been nursing them, I will tear out your throat.”

No! “Mum-” Speckledpaw cried, retching. He’d hurt her, he’d hurt her, this was all his fault- His Clanmates laughed, Troutfur’s breath warm on his shoulders as they snapped at his heels and drove him away from his mother towards the crowd.

“Ashpaw, what do you think of your brother? How should his misbehaviour be punished?” Troutfur asked. The senior warriors sneered at his brother; he had to avert his eyes. Now he was hurting everyone else he cared about. All he did was cause hurt. He should’ve known better.

Troutfur and Robinwave were so close to Ashpaw. “I think…” Ashpaw kneaded the ground. “I think because he failed hunting, his punishment should have something to do with hunting,”  he said. Troutfur hissed. 

It clearly wasn’t the response Robinwave had been waiting for; he grimaced and snorted. “Very well then. As your brother suggested, you will be punished with hunting. You must still feed the Clan, but all the prey you catch must be with your own claws. If anyone helps this apprentice, my wrath will fall upon them and he will be exiled.” Ashpaw didn’t look at him for their whole journey home.

  
  


-

“What ratdung!” Redpaw exclaimed. “Look, I can help you-”

“I have to do this myself,” he said firmly. Her voice was making him feel dizzy, a mixture of the hunger clawing at his stomach and the pain still in his head. His shoulder was hurting horribly too. Barkshine would give him nothing but poppy seeds and Frogfur hadn’t got much time to patch up the inflammation before she was inevitably told to do something else by Barkshine. Worse, Night-tail had been forced to take him on patrols, for the last two days the senior warriors had forced them to ignore his pain and push through it while the lower ranked warriors watched. It was a warning; step out of line and they could be him. Night-tail had got many scratches for trying to speak up. “I’m not getting any cat exiled because of what I did.”

Redpaw shook her head. “Are you sure you can hunt in that state?” she asked. Speckledpaw stood up, feigning confidence.

“Yes. Besides, I still need to catch my own prey.” He’d caught prey chased into his own claws by Night-tail earlier, and he hoped the rabbit would be enough that Robinwave would consider it ‘feeding the Clan’. Speckledpaw couldn’t go without meat for much longer. Besides, the senior warriors had to go to the Gathering tonight, so he wouldn’t be under too much scrutiny.

“There hasn’t been hunting patrols by the Great Boundary for a few days. You should find prey there,” Redpaw turned and ran; Frogfur was calling for her. She was being assessed today. She didn’t talk about it, but he could sense how frightened she was. It was after an assessment that Patchedpaw had been exiled. Even the prospect of being trusted enough to go to a Gathering wasn’t enough to calm her.

Eclipseheart and Night-tail weren’t in camp, which was good because he was worried they’d stop him. It didn’t stop him feeling a pang when he looked around and saw only hostile or frightened gazes. He longed for a familiar face.

“ _Robin_ _storm_ _fought Twowaves, a warrior still, at the rise of the moon_ ,” Speckledpaw’s ears pricked at the tune. It was Starlingpelt with Tansong, Mangledleg and Swansong sitting around her, Tansong practically quivering from fear. Or excitement? He couldn’t tell. Curiosity drew him close,  even though he was  worried about what would happen if he was seen. Singing without a senior warrior was unheard of.

“ _They danced under the light, and all that saw the fight didn’t know_ _their_ _whisker from tail, for the fighters were so strong, their attacks so quick_ ,” Starlingpelt sang.  _I’ve never heard this song before_ . Twowaves rarely had any songs sung about her; the Betrayal and the leader they’d lost was a raw wound in Grassclan. 

“That’s a cursed song. You shouldn’t be singing it, even on a full moon,” Frostcloud’s voice sounded meek, but it couldn’t stop the mood dropping like a hawk after a pigeon. He wasn’t quite a senior warrior, but as Rookheart’s mate he was certainly the closest of the normal warriors to being one. If she heard about this…

Speckledpaw lodg ed himself even further into the earth  so he wouldn’t be seen . “Just a few seasons ago,  even cursed tales could be told on a full moon . And this one certainly isn’t cursed;  it would be fine to sing it even without a full moon .” Even in speech, Swansong had a rhythmic, powerful voice.  His blue eyes held a determined glint, the grey mask around his eyes wrinkled into a frown.

“Well, we can’t risk anything bad happening again,” Frostcloud said, avoiding his eyes. “Starlingpelt, if you sing any songs like that again I will have to tell Robinwave. Grassclan’s unity is essential to our survival.” The molly dipped her head and squeezed her one eye shut, mumbling an apology. Frostcloud left.

Mangledleg sniffed,  muttering a round of profanities so creative Speckledpaw bit back a gasp. “They get more foolish with every moon. Tonight I’m not singing about the Betrayal, no matter how much they whine.  I mean, it’s not like they won’t be all at the Gathering anyway, ” Swansong said. 

Starlingpelt stayed tense. “You’ll be alright. Frostcloud’s too much of a coward to cause trouble with the elders,” her  child Tansong said, not very convincingly.  They  bore the scars from both the Betrayal and the aftermath; rumour had it  h e had supported Stonestripe until the night of the final slaughter itself, and Robinwave  had torn his tail in half as punishment.

Speckledpaw continued to slink on by. He looked up at Swansong for a moment, and he looked back. Shit! For a moment he thought the elder would alert the others with a noise of disgust or call him over to do tasks for him, but he smiled, shook his head and turned away like he was...amused. And was there a bit of pity in his eyes? The elders didn’t treat him meanly, but  the senior warriors were often around them, and if they actually liked him revealing that would be too risky. Rumour had it both had preferred Stonestripe to Robinwave, albeit long before she had caused the Betrayal. He padded out of camp, towards the Great Boundary.

The Great Boundary was the western boundary of Grassclan, where Clanland became wilderness. Technically the border between Lakeclan and the mountains was also part of the Great Boundary, but Clan cats didn’t call it that out of respect for Hillclan, over a dozen cycles gone. The Clan who had inhabited it was gone, but they still called it Clanland.  Still, Lakeclan avoided hunting on those hills if they could . Speckledpaw looked at the distant blue hills, shivering.  Rumour had it the land was still cursed .  Thinking of how close Grassclan had came to following Hillclan into history made him feel cold.

His eyes drifted to the pine forest on the other side of the river . Legend had it some of the survivors  from all the Clans, including Hillclan, had gone there  to build a new life in the forest. No-one really believed they’d  made it,  despite many a fanciful nursery tale about Pineclan . Patchedpaw  had loved patrolling by the river; she’d always wanted to see a Pineclan cat. Sometimes Ashkit had even gone with her; he had shared the obsession with them, though he hadn’t talked about Pineclan since Patchedpaw had been exiled.  He turned away and breathed the sharp salty air. He needed to focus on surviving, not old stories and dead Clans.

Speckledpaw kept to the cliffs as he travelled westward. There was something exhilarating about the sight of the roiling sea and crying gulls over his head, with Clanland rolling to the north. They were a good distraction from the encroaching wilderness; on the horizon loomed the square fields, roads and other twoleg contraptions, their dens in small clusters. It was an eerie place, but he wasn’t leaving the boundaries of Grassclan, and within the territory he would encounter none of the things he saw ahead, though he may hear them or smell them. When cats went on pilgrimage to the Sacred House Grassclan was descended from, they had to walk deep into the wilderness, but other than that cats stayed away. 

Prey scents criss-crossed the land; they were clearer than usual, probably because cats hadn’t been chasing after prey for a while. _I hope this’ll be easy_. He assumed a hunting stance with some difficulty, cringing each time his swollen shoulder knocked loudly against the ground. 

He came across an injured, weak young magpie and broke its neck before it could peck him with  its  razor sharp beak. Speckledpaw tore into the flesh with abandon, remembering only at the last second that he needed to bring meat for Waveclan. It took a lot of effort to turn  towards the sea and not eat his offering .  He was back at his kill at once, eating until the bones were splinters. 

Speckledpaw groomed himself, even around the injured bits of his pelt. It was only when the last trace of blood and dirt was off his pelt that he noticed the cave, full of lengthening shadows.  A strange sensation came over him, making the fur along his spine rise into the air.  _I remember this place somehow. How is that possible?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> will he find something interesting in the spooky cave? or will he end up discovering the real spooky cave is the friends he made along the way? all will be answered next week! also i might be crossposting this to ff.net tonight if ff.net co-operates and doesn't glitch out on me


End file.
